


Worthy

by Onlymostydead



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Angst, Confessions of love, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Pre-Calamity, minor injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 10:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17282453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: Of all the things Zelda has been told she is, worthy has never been one of them... But can Mipha change her mind about that?





	Worthy

**Author's Note:**

> This is so self indulgent. Inspired by the moment Zelda says witthy in the memory with the ceremony.

Of all the things Zelda had been told she was, worthy was never one of them. The word was bitter on her tongue as she said it.

Worthy.

Worthy.

Link was worthy, with that sword o his back proving who he was. He deserved what he had, fought for it, trained for it... And now, he had something to display that. His worth was declared anytime someone looked at his back, at the sword sheathed there. The champions garb, with its light blue color declaring its royal origins, told the same story. The taste was too bitter on her tongue, and she looked away.  
It was the ceremony that reminded her of this, Daruk's suggestion that they might Link properly as a Champion of Hyrule, the Princesses own appointed knight. If she could release him from that bond, she would do it in a heartbeat. He would be free to go do whatever Champions do, preparing for the end of the world in their own way, while she got back to her own training.

And she would be rid of seeing that hideous sword.

The abominable goddess.  
The bastard children they were here, left to die by her all because she held back her wretched power. All because Zelda wasn't good enough. She wasn't worthy.

Worthy.

The word tasted like iron on her tongue now, blood from where she bit through her cheek. Keeping her silence after the ceremony had been the important part, and that she did. She did everything that was asked of her, everything that was ever required.

So why did she still fall short?

All of the champions were so perfect, and here she was in the midst of them. 

Urbosa, who was almost like a second mother to her, wore the royal color around her waist as a wrap skirt, as natural as could be. She was a warrior, a queen, yet tender and soft and beloved by all. Yes, she struggled, but there was never a doubt in anyone's mind that she was worthy of her title a thousand times over.  
Daruk, with the color wrapped like a banner around his chest, was similar in many respects. He was a mentor, a warrior, and a strategist. Whenever they needed a leader, it was his voice of reason they listened to. If Zelda was honest, she saw him as family, a type of odd uncle, perhaps. His people praised him as their boss. Worthy.

Proud as anything, Revali wore his royal colors as a scarf on his neck. The best of the Rito in many respects, he had clawed his way talon and beak to be regarded as worthy. Finally, with his control of bow and air, he had made it. He was the best.   
And Mipha...

Zelda had to stare down at the floor whenever she was around, afraid that she would lose all composure if she gazed one more time into those amazing eyes. She was perfect, from her smooth red and white skin to her shark-like teeth to the way the royal color was wrapped around her torso and thrown over a strong shoulder. Mipha was all a princess should be, with her kind manners and perfect appearance. Every bit of her seemed draped with jewelry, from heavy anklets to dainty rings on her clawed fingers.

Zelda couldn't look at her lips for fear she would kiss her, losing all semblance of sensibility. And yet... She couldn't. With Mipha being so wonderful, so perfect...

She wasn't worthy. She knew that thought deep in her heart, no matter how much it hurt. A failed princess, a lost endevor, the damned chosen by the goddess. She wasn't enough.  
And yet, here they were.

It was cold outside, though mostly from the rain. Traveling through Akkala always meant unpredictable weather, since they were so close to the ocean, but it seemed insane how quickly the rainstorm had fallen on them. One moment Zelda, Mipha, Link, and Daruk were on their way up to Robbie's lab, the next? They were all horribly drenched.

Then the lizalfos struck.

It was a large band of them, all snapping tongues and unnaturally rotating eyes. Zelda was petrified when she saw them, already chilled to the bone, but now frozen in place. She could hardly breathe, with the rate at which they were approaching-

The fight was chaotic, with swords and boomerangs and spears and crushers all flying at unprecedented rates. Daruk would hit two of the monsters back, but they simply pulled themselves up and did it again. Relentless, they kept throwing themselves at their traveling party. Zelda couldn't say for certain, but there has to be at least a dozen of them. Probably more.

Daruk swung, taking the head clean off one and knocking another back. The surviving one spit in his eyes, temporarily blinding him. Mipha lunged forward and stabbed it, taking it out for good. Her spear caught, and now another lizalfos wa headed for her.

"Hylia, no." Zelda whispered, covering her mouth. 

Link swung his sword in a wide arc, taking out two monsters including the one going for Mipha. She pulled her spear free, and recontinued her barrage of attacks. Watching her fight was like watching an incredible dance, all balanced motion and quick jabs, jewelry and sash flowing with her every movement, even in the rain. Her amber eyes were wide and clear, focused on the task at hand. Her teeth shone in the dull moonlight, her smile confident and bold.  
If she continued watching her, Zelda felt that she might swoon. She was-

A lizalfos threw his boomerang, and Link easily dodged the attack, but-  
"Ahhh!" Zelda collapsed to the ground, clutching her arm.

The jagged and sharp edge of the boomerang had torn straight through her shirt and skin, leaving a deep cut on her upper arm. There was a lot of blood, soaking into her already wet shirt... Zelda was starting to feel dizzy. Disoriented. 

"Mipha! Get the Princess to that cave back there!" Daruk barked, breathing heavily as he swung his crusher. "Link an' I'll finish them off, isn't that right, little guy?"

Link made an affirmative noise, but Zelda was getting too woozy to process it. All that existed right now was the cut on her arm and Mipha rushing towards her. 

"Here, I can carry you."

She proceeded to do so, scooping Zelda up as if she weighed nothing. Se had to resist the urge to reach up and touch Mipha's face, to trace her lips...

What was she thinking? That was ridiculous. She should-

"Here." Mipha set her down against the cave wall, propping her up there. "Now, Link gave me his bag..."

Searching through, she eventually found enough dry wood to make a small campfire, some flint, and a piece of steel to strike it on. Before long, they had a small fire roaring.

"Now, let me look at that wound." Mipha moved closer, holding her arm gingerly in her hands. "Would you prefer for me to cut your sleeve off, or help you strip off the shirt?"

Zelda shook her head, raising her arms to ask for her to remove the shirt. Mipha complied, gently peeling off the wet later, leaving her in only her undergarment. Blushing, Zelda had to look away. The cut still pulsed with pain, making her shake all over, but apparently she could still be embarrassed by Mipha seeing her in her underwear.

"There, now..." Mipha searched through the bag once more, pulling out a glass bottle with contents that were nearly clear. "I'll need to pour this on before I heal you, so that it doesn't get infected. It will hurt a little but, so I'll try to be quick."

Zelda nodded, trying to focus more on the soft, even tone of Mipha's voice, on the beautiful shape of her lips. Sure enough, the liquid hurt enough that she grit her teeth, clenching her hand into a fist and squeezing her eyes shut. 

Mipha took a little breath in. "I'm sorry, I'm almost done."

When she burning in her arm was gone, Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. She shivered, then... A strange warmth filled her whole body, focused on that arm. Tentatively, she opened her eyes.  
Mipha was using her healing power on her, holding her arm in place with one hand, hovering ovr the other the cut. It was closing up, slowly, fading until it was only a darker sliver of scar tissue.

Pulling her hands back, she gave her a warm smile. "There you go; all better. How are you feeling?"

Zelda smiled, the whole experience leaving her a little giddy, lightheaded. "Like I could kiss you, right now."

Mipha blushed, turning her head away.

"Wait, I'm, I'm sorry." She corrected, beating herself up on the inside. "Thank you, I mean thank-"

Closing the distance between them in an instant, they were close enough together that Zelda couldn't breathe. Mipha's hand was on her neck, pulling her wet hair back from her face. Her other hand was on her arm, right in the place where she had just healed.  
And she was kissing her. Really kissing her, all soft lips land gentle movement like she had imagined.

After a few breathless moments, they both pulled away for air.

"I- I'm sorry." Mipha stuttered, her eyes on the floor. "I just... I've wanted to do that for so long, and when you said it-"

"Don't apologize!" Zelda begged, putting her hands on Mipha's shoulders. "I've wanted- I'm the one who should apologize, I'm not... I'm not good enough for you."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

And everything came rushing forward.

"Everything I do, I mess up. I can't accomplish my duty on this team, I can't fulfill my role as a princess... I'm not like you, Mipha."

Mipha shook her head. "You're perfect."

"No, I..." She swallowed. "I'm not."

"You are to me, so why do you fight it?"

Zelda sighed, leaning back against the wall. "I love you, Mipha, but-"

"Isn't that enough?" She interrupted. "We both... What are the odds here, Zelda? We love each other. That's something special."

"I'm not worthy of you."

Mipha's eyes went wide, watering up just a little bit. "Don't ever say that, Zeda."

"Why not?" She laughed breathlessly, something about the whole situation making tears rise in her own eyes. "I'm not."

"You deserve the world, Zelda."

"No, I don't."  
Mipha shook her head. "Do you believe the things I tell you?"

Zelda frowned. "Yes?"

"Than believe me when I tell you this," She leaned in, tucking Zelda's hair behind her ear. "You are worthy of love. Whoever told you otherwise, even if it was yourself, was lying. And I love you."

Tears streamed down her face now, and Zelda hoped they just looked like rain. "I don't know if I can believe you on that."

"Than I guess I'll have to keep telling you, until you do." Mipha smiled, sharp teeth shining in the firelight, the golden glow catching a gleam in her eye.  
She never looked more beautiful than she did now, Zelda thought to herself, even though she thought that every time she saw her.

"Alright."

Link and Daruk stumbled into the cave after that, and Mipha hastily wrapped Zelda in her sash for modesty. Zora didn't regard nudity in the same way, after all. It simply wasn't an issue to them. The fabric was almost dry in some places, from being so close to the fire.   
Zelda stayed quiet through dinner, and when it came time for them to go to bed, she was surprised when Mipha came to curl up beside her. Falling asleep was difficult, with the loud crackling of the fire, her wet clothes, and her heart pounding in her chest, but eventually her eyes fell shut. The sheer exhaustion of the day caught up to her.

The first thing she woke up to in the morning was Mipha's face, a soft smile on her full lips.

"I love you." She whispered. "And you are worthy."

And Zelda thought maybe, just maybe, one day it could all seem true. Even if she didn't make everyone happy, even if she couldn't please everyone... Here, in this secluded cave in Akkala, she finally felt like enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr at Supertinydom and Supertinywords! Requests for oneshots are open, and comments are love <3


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